Money Word Problems That Make Math Meaningful

Teaching money word problems can be challenging for young learners, especially when abstract numbers don’t easily connect to their everyday experiences. This resource brings money concepts to life through the fun and familiar context of Pandora’s Party Palace, helping students see how math is used in real-world situations.

This resource includes:

• Pandora’s Party Palace catalogues
• 16 × maths problem‑solving task cards
• Student recording sheet

This resource is ideal for teachers looking for practical, engaging ways to teach money word problems while saving planning time and boosting student engagement.

Scaffolded Money Activities

These money word problems are designed to be adaptable, making them easy to integrate into your existing math program while keeping students engaged. Consider using the resource in some of these creative ways:

• Math rotations or small-group tasks – Laminate the cards and use them as a hands-on problem-solving station.
• Classroom shop or role-play – Turn Pandora’s Party Palace into a pretend shop and have students solve problems through play.
• Early finisher activities – Provide meaningful, independent practice that reinforces money concepts.

Download, Edit, and Use with Ease

This teaching resource is available as a ready-to-download PDF for quick printing, as well as an editable Google Slides version that allows you to customize tasks for your classroom. When accessing the Google Slides, you’ll be prompted to make your own copy so you can edit, save, and reuse the resource as needed.

Lindsey Phillips, a teacher from Michigan and a Teach Starter collaborator, contributed to this resource.

More Money Activities

Don’t stop there! Check out more of our money resources below.

[resource:5165937] [resource:5157241] [resource:5157523]